Netflix is jacking up subscription prices; what will you do?

I know what I am doing. I am opting for less. I will go for the live streaming only and forget about the dvd delivery. Raising prices will not create more jobs. Just more profit IMHO. Queenbee.

July 13, 2011, 7:39 AM — Well, it was nice while it lasted. On Monday we were happy, content Netflix customers getting a great deal on streaming content and DVDs. Then Tuesday it all came tumbling down. Early in the day there were a rumor circulating that Netflix would be raising its prices, and just a few hours later that rumor came true.

We're talking about significant increases, too. In my case, I currently pay $11.99/month for unlimited streaming and 1 DVD or Blu-ray disk out at a time (Blu-ray adds a $2 surcharge). After September 1st (when the new prices go into effect for existing customers), my bill will increase to $17.98, about a 50% increase in price.

Netflix is trying to spin this as a way to offer unlimited disks for the lowest prices ever: $7.99/month for 1 disk at a time and an unlimited number of disks every month, so I guess for the disk-only subscribers (who'll be getting their very own subdomain: http://dvd.netflix.com) this is good news.

Subscribers who only use streaming also won't be bothered. They'll be paying $7.99/month too, which I think is what a streaming-only plan cost before the updates.

It's those of us who're hybrid users that are really getting screwed. If you like streaming but find you need to supplement it with disks due to Netflix's limited streaming selection, you're going to be paying for that luxury. You'll have to subscribe to a $7.99 streaming plan and a $7.99 disk plan, with no bundle discount (and that $2 Blu-ray surcharge remains).

What really gets my nose out of joint about these changes is that Netflix so often has gaps in its streaming coverage. I watch a lot of TV series via Netflix streaming and far too often I'll find a few episodes in a season (and sometimes an entire season) will be 'Disk only.' Right now that's an inconvenience, but after September 1st it'll feel like extortion.

So, attempts at spin notwithstanding, why the price hike? Netflix does eventually cut to the chase in the blog post I linked to above: